BJP dissidents calls for ousting Modi-Shah

Kolkata, January 19

Disgruntled and previous stalwarts of BJP like Shatrughan Sinha, Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shorie, who held important position in the past NDA government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee,joined ranks with opposition leaders Saturday to call for ousting Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah.

Shatrughan Sinha, Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie, all members of the NDA cabinet under Vajpayee but, have fallen out with the present leadership, shared dais with senior opposition parties leaders at the rally which launched an attack on Modi and Shah.

 Shatrughan Sinha, sitting BJP MP from Patna Sahib, called for changing the government in the 2019 Lok Sabha election and said he was not afraid of being removed from the ruling party.

He insisted he would continue to "show mirror" to the party and call "a spade a spade".

Sinha, who has been at odds with his party over several issues and has criticised the demonetisation exercise and the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax, said he was attending the rally hosted by TMC chief Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata as a representative of the Rashtra Manch, a political action group launched by former BJP leader Yashwant Sinha.

"If you keep suppressing facts, people will continue to say 'chaukidar chor hain'," he said, using the word Congress president Rahul Gandhi has been employing to criticise the prime minister on the Rafale jet deal issue.

The actor-turned BJP leader said there was "lokshahi" during Vajpayee's tenure and now it's "tanashahi" (dictatorship).

Former Union finance minister Yashwant Sinha came down heavily on the Narendra Modi government saying that this was the first government after Independence that those who have been playing "mischief" with the developmental statistics are quick at branding people who criticize the government as "desh drohi" (traitors)and those praising the government as "desh bhakt"(patriots).

Former union leader Arun Shourie also echoed Sinha’s views.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who had convened the rally, said BJP's misrule has crossed all levels and it has forced even BJP leaders like Shatrughan Sinha to come out in open against the government.

The BJP central leadership Saturday said the party will take "cognisance" of its MP Shatrughan Sinha's presence at the united opposition rally against the Narendra Modi government and termed the actor-turned-politician an "opportunist."

BJP's national spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy called Shatrugan Sinha an "opportunist" and said he was in the party to enjoy the perks of being an MP, but at the same time seen making different voices at various platforms. PTI